Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen calls for Noem’s impeachment as Minneapolis shooting fallout threatens DHS funding talks
Sen. Jacky Rosen said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem should be impeached and removed, citing allegations that Noem misled the public about the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. The outcry, fueled by video evidence that AP says appears to contradict the administration’s initial account, is colliding with a looming January 30 funding deadline and could disrupt efforts to pass Homeland Security spending legislation.
A rare impeachment call from a Senate moderate
Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada is calling for the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, arguing that Noem has attempted to mislead the public about a fatal shooting in Minneapolis and has lost control of the Department of Homeland Security. Rosen’s statement stood out because she is viewed as a more moderate figure within the caucus, and her stance signaled how sharply the politics around immigration enforcement and federal policing have escalated in recent weeks.
Rosen described Noem’s leadership as a failure and said she must be removed. While impeachment of a cabinet secretary is historically rare and proceedings are unlikely to succeed in a GOP-controlled Congress, the political impact is immediate: the controversy is feeding into funding brinkmanship in Washington at a sensitive moment for the department.
What happened in Minneapolis and why videos matter
The dispute centers on the killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old protester in Minneapolis who was shot by a Border Patrol agent. According to The Associated Press, videos reviewed by the outlet appear to contradict the administration’s early characterization that shots were fired defensively as Pretti approached with a gun. AP’s account said Pretti appears to be seen holding only a phone in his hand in the footage, though agents later found he had a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun during the scuffle.
In the administration’s public response, Noem defended the shooting without waiting for a full investigation, describing the situation as one in which Pretti arrived to interfere with law enforcement and suggesting he posed a lethal threat. The gap between those assertions and what critics say is visible in widely circulated videos has become the core of the political backlash, intensifying calls for accountability.
A funding deadline collides with rising outrage
The controversy is unfolding alongside a looming deadline that could trigger a partial government shutdown on January 30, 2026. Democratic lawmakers have pledged to oppose Homeland Security funding, and Rosen’s statement added momentum to a push that could disrupt Senate leaders’ plans to move a broader spending package quickly. In practical terms, this means the debate is no longer only about a single incident; it is also shaping near-term legislative negotiations and the operating budget for DHS.
Broader allegations about Noem’s conduct
Rosen also pointed to issues beyond the Minneapolis shooting, alleging waste and self-promotion. Her statement cited reports involving expensive aircraft purchases associated with the Coast Guard and raised questions about how department resources are being used. These claims are now being folded into a wider argument from Democrats that DHS’s current leadership is enabling abuses and undermining public trust.
Even if impeachment remains unlikely, the immediate political reality is that DHS oversight, ICE tactics, and the administration’s narrative around use-of-force incidents are now central issues in Congress, with funding leverage being used as a pressure point.